Brooklyn Nets: Sean Marks Is Gambling In Free Agency

Nov 3, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin (7) prepares to drive past guard Derrick Rose (1) during the first half of the game at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

The Brooklyn Nets have agreed to a 3-year deal with free agent point guard Jeremy Lin. The deal is worth up to $36 million, according to reports.

“Linsanity” is coming back to the state of New York. Jeremy Lin reunites with his former coach and current Nets coach Kenny Atkinson. Atkinson was an assistant coach in New York when Linsanity began. In the past, Lin gave the Nets coach a lot of credit for helping him develop as a player.

The journey continues...thankful for the next chapter!! #Godisgood pic.twitter.com/1PLutlFbyO
— Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) July 1, 2016

The Brooklyn Nets are searching for players that will be a good fit on their roster, as they try to improve on 2015-16’s 21-win season. The good news for Nets’ fans, is the team has been linked to many players already, and free agency isn’t even officially underway yet. If the Nets can make a few key acquisitions, the free agent period should be considered a success.

One of the players the Nets that had been linked to, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, is Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin. Lin, who turns 28 in August, signed a two-year, $4.3 million contract with Charlotte last July.

Lin and the Nets are an ntriguing pair. Did Lin have other options besides Brooklyn? Absolutely. However, the Nets can offer Lin something that few other teams can: the opportunity to start. The Nets have been looking to upgrade both guard positions, and if Lin were to come to the Nets, he’d likely be a featured part of the offense and see plenty of playing time.

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Lin played in 78 games last season, making 13 starts. He averaged 26 minutes per game, with 11.7 points and 3 assists per game.

Lin’s presence in Brooklyn would be worth watching for multiple reasons. Lin can score and distribute the basketball, and would bring with him a hard-working mentality. He’d give the Nets an athletic guard, and, perhaps most importantly, a veteran presence on a team that parted ways with veteran Jarrett Jack.

And of course, it was in New York — albeit with the Knicks — where Lin emerged onto the NBA scene and launched the Linsanity movement that captivated fans across the globe. It would be quite the story line for Lin to return and join the Nets. He still possesses quite a large fan base that began in his Knicks days, and while his subsequent contract with the Houston Rockets may not have worked out so well, Lin is still a very capable player.

Jeremy Lin has experienced highs in the NBA, and perhaps some lows as well when he was burdened by his Rockets’ contract. But experience, both good and bad, can be vital to a young team. Lin has experiences that he can share with young players such as Caris LeVert, Isaiah Whitehead, and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Adding a player in Lin who can produce but also serve as an example for Brooklyn’s younger players would be a solid move for Sean Marks and the front office.

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The Nets also have a significant connection to Lin. Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson was an assistant coach on the New York Knicks from 2008 to 2012. Atkinson coached Lin during his Linsanity season in 2011-12, when Lin had his best stretch in the NBA. The familiarity between the two could give the Nets an edge in bringing Lin aboard, and Atkinson likely knows how to put Lin in the best position to be successful.